Don't Run Away
by EphemeralSakura
Summary: Just after his father convinced him to stay, Jughead goes back inside to look for his girlfriend. It's going to be a long night for those broken lovers.


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 **A/N** : Okay. This is my theory of what happened in between the party and their meeting at Pop's. It was so unfair of them not to show it, therefore, I feel the need to write down the vision I have in my mind. This one goes as far as the time they leave Archie's house, so tell me if you think I should continue! Hope you enjoy, and please, send me some feedback!

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The party was already a mess, but shit hit the fan only after his knuckles crashed against Chuck's cheekbones after those stupid words came out from his lips. The former player- football player- decided to tag along with Cheryl in her stupid revenge plan, and much to their delight, chaos was created in what was supposed to be a small, unwanted birthday party. People ended up hurt, physically and emotionally, and even if his face hurt like hell, his heart had never been any tighter than at that very moment.

Jughead was a train wreck, with blood coming out from his bruised face, and all he wanted to do was to go home, wherever the hell that might be at that very moment. He left the Andrew's residence as a soldier who returns from war- broken and troubled- and he didn't want to look back on his decision to leave. He didn't belong there, he knew. Yet, he could feel a strange force pulling him back inside.

It was pulling him towards her.

But his feelings had already caused too much trouble for one troublesome night.

He had to leave. And that was exactly what he was going to do before his father decided to interfere.

" Where the hell are you going?" FP bumped on his shoulder, taking him off the flow of people leaving the house.

"What!?" Jughead screamed, anger filling every letter of his statement. His troubled expression shocked his father, for never before had he seen his concealed son so troubled because of a stupid party. " You gonna give me some advice on my right hook?"

The South Serpent let out a sigh, feeling somewhat annoyed to see that his son's sarcasm was still present at such a crucial time. That boy really has no cure, and he would make sure to put some sense into his stubborn head. " I want you to go back inside and talk to your girl."

" I don't think it's gonna work out. We have irreconcilable differences."

It was easy for FP to see how hurt the boy was just by the way his eyes were cast down and how he was normally more aggressive with his sentences. His son was heartbroken and he had the right to be. Still, as an adult who has gone to hell and never entirely returned, his father knew better than to let him throw away what could be the only healthy and stable connection of his short, troubled life over a stupid thing like that. He wasn't going to let his son lose a girl who's crazy enough to love him for everything that he is.

He was not going to let Jughead make the same mistakes he did back then, for sure.

When the teen tried to make his way past his father, he was obviously held back once more. Another unsatisfied expression took over his juvenile face, as he refused to make any kind of eye contact with the Serpent.

" Don't run away from it! Don't run away."

His words struck hard in both his and Jughead's hearts, for it was clear that FP was not just talking about what had just happened minutes before. He was talking about the whole thing and how he didn't want to see history repeating itself, with his son as the new protagonist of another love tragedy staring the Jones family. " You've got something good here- with her, with your friends. Something that we could never give you."

Jughead remained silent, allowing his father's pep talk to sink into the depths of his gloomy soul. For the first time in his life, the words coming from his old man were making sense and igniting something inside his core. The bruise was long forgotten, and he was impressed that he, Jughead Jones the Third, was actually being convinced otherwise.

Things were really messed up that night.

" Also, man up." Jughead looked at him, feeling somewhat encouraged. " After what I just saw in there, she needs you."

And that was when the whole thing wrapped up inside his heart. The figure of a blonde girl, with eyes on the verge of tears got even clearer in his head, and at that time he just knew he couldn't leave her behind, especially not after everything she had listened to on that night. Harsh words were thrown at her simply because she was trying to do something nice, and more than ever he recognized his share of the guilt at that moment.

He was still hurt because of the party and because of their fight, but the idea of tears streaming down her soft cheeks was the one thing that was troubling him the most. That night, she was humiliated and exposed, and not only by people such as Cheryl and Chuck. He hurt her and took her for granted because of his own demons, and more than ever Jughead just wanted to punch every single one of them in the face.

Betty should have never gone through such terrible experiences like that, no. Not when he's supposed to be around to protect her.

Not when he's the one she calls boyfriend, and especially, not when she needs him.

 _Tch, he couldn't believe his father had actually made him do the right thing._

Without thinking twice, the beanie boy turned on his heels and returned inside in order to seek for his girl. His greenish-blue eyes were scanning the whole place, looking for her golden pony tail in between the many heads that were heading towards the exit, but finding no sign of the girl. The entire place was a mess. Blue and Gold decorations spread around the floor, red solo cups forgotten everywhere, along with beer bottles and things he didn't even dare try to identify.

Jughead even found Vegas' toy spread around, and for his four-legged pal's safety, he would definitely remember to get rid of that thing as soon as he fixed things with his girlfriend.

He searched for her everywhere, checking the garage, the backyard and even the rooms upstairs, asking everyone who hadn't still left if they had seen the Cooper girl. He placed a hand over his beanie, taking a deep breath as he took time to think before continuing his desperate search.

Betty had to be there. He didn't remember seeing her leave, and hopefully, he didn't miss her by accident while he was upstairs or in any of the other places where she wasn't. He knew that if she had returned home, then his chances of talking to her would be close to zero. Her mother is a strong person, and even Jughead knows messing with Alice Cooper is a terrible mistake.

He had to find her before it was too late.

And thankfully, after passing by his favorite place in the house, the Jones boy finally spotted that beautiful, crown sweater she had been wearing since earlier. She was at the kitchen, leaning against the cupboard and with her back turned to him. Her right hand had a tight grip around the trash bag, and her left one was resting over the mahogany structure as if she was using it to support herself. Her shoulders were tensed, and as he slowly approached her, he could hear small sobs coming out of her mouth.

So she was crying, after all.

" Betty."

Her body shifted immediately at the sound of his voice, and he watched as she quickly used her free hand to wipe away her face. She took a deep breath in response, and as if she hadn't heard him at all, the Cooper girl continued cleaning up and throwing the empty bottles inside the dark bag in her hand.

" Betty… We need to-" He reached out for her shoulder, but before he could even touch her, she took a step away, creating an even bigger barrier in between them.

" Why are you still here, Jughead?" Her voice was harsh and hurt, and not being able to look into her eyes was simply killing him. She was trying to keep a distance between them as in a protective measure, and even if he had tried to do it before, Jug knew he couldn't let her do the same.

" I couldn't leave you all alone in this state. Not after that stupid game."

"You were on your way out before the game even started, so I don't think that's the case."

" Look, about what Chuck said… It was not your fault. He's just a jerk. He-"

" He was right!... He didn't say a single lie about me and I'm the only one to be blamed for this whole night."

" No, you're not. Tch, you can't let that guy get the best of you. You're a good person, Betty. You're-"

" Perfect?"

Silence stuck in between them, as they were now taken back to their fight earlier that night. Back to when their differences collided, and when his introvert personality made him say things he didn't mean at all. He regretted his words more than ever at that moment, as he was blaming himself for labeling her like that.

A straight A student. A cheerleader. The perfect girl next door.

He had judged her for all of those things people normally do, not caring about the fact that maybe she was just as broken as he is. For him, Betty Cooper has always been the purest center of everything that is right in the world. For him she has always been, indeed, perfect. However, after learning more about her family and after listening to Chuck revealing her darkest secret, Jughead realized that his conception of right did not apply on her.

She's a weirdo. A damaged, loner, outsider from the wrong side of the tracks who was trying to seem perfect for the others.

She's an idiot. And so is he for letting the beast within her hide behind that facade.

" Y-You're not perfect… I'm sorry about what I've said."

" You shouldn't. Neither you nor Chuck. It's just the truth."

" No, it's not. Betty, I-"

" Look." She raised her voice, making his eyes widen and his words disappear in his tongue. She was clearly not okay, and apparently, his approach was just making things worse. Still, he was not going to give up on her. He was not going to give up on them. " I think you should just go. Your room is not a mess, and… Just go."

" I'm not going anywhere, Betty."

" Please, Jug." Her voice crackled, and at that moment, he knew she had completely lost herself in her own guilt. " Go away."

Her pleading words made his heart pound, for many of the times he actually said those words to the ones close to him, all he really wanted was for one of them to stay. Even if her voice was telling him to go, he couldn't care less about that. He was not going to do as he was told, and he was certainly not going to leave his girlfriend alone.

He was not running away that time.

" No. I want to fix this."

" Jughead, there's nothing you can do."

" I want to try."

" You can'-"

" I want to help!"

"..." She bit her lower lip, as a tear fell from her eye. " So clean this whole mess up!" She finally turned to face him, red eyes stinging from the wiped tears and all her insecurities forcing their way out of her body. She let go of the trash bag, and both of her hands were turned into fists. Betty was not mad at all, he could clearly see that. She was just hurt in the same way he was before, as she addressed herself as the personification of the word mess.

Betty was begging for help. And he would never ignore her silent call.

" I've tried cleaning it all by myself, but I just can't, Jug! I've tried, but in the end I just can't. I'm crazy just like my family, and even if I've tried to rely on your words, I know that I'll eventually drag them down with me. I'll drag you down with me!"

" No, you won't! Betty, you're destroying yourself right now, and you just can't do it right now. This was just a mistake, and it wasn't your fault."

" Yes, it was, Jug! You were right! I don't know what you like or not, and I probably just did this party for myself… To prove that I can be perfect at something. I was trying to be the perfect girlfriend, but I can't. I'm not and I'll never be…" She took a step closer, placing her right hand on his soft cheek and lifting his head so her eyes were now focused on his bruise. " As your girlfriend, I'm only good to get you hurt, Jug."

" No, you're not." He held her hand in place before she could move it away, and he could feel something different in the texture of her palm. It got him intrigued, but before he could check on it, he saw as her eyes shifted in a mix of sorrow and fear. He carefully let go of her hand, and watched as she turned it into a fist and brought it to her chest. There was something more causing her pain and by the end of that night, Jughead would make sure to find out what.

But not before he could mend their broken hearts.

" Yes, I am…" She said, in a whisper, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

" No, I've already told you that you're not." His expression was soft and tender now, and as he placed his hands on her cheeks, he could feel a strong need to pull her closer in a hug so he could shield her from the entire world. He wiped the tears that followed behind the first one that hit the floor, and he looked deep into her beautiful, blue eyes. " Betty… We're both hurt by things we both did. The party, the fight… This is not us. We're better than that."

" H-How? We're both so different, Jug."

" …. I don't know, but…" He brushed his thumb across her right cheek, soothing her heart before letting his hands fall from her face to her shoulders. Her eyes looking at him with so much hope gave him strength, and Jughead knew exactly what he had to say. " But we have something- something different. We both have our secrets that we're afraid to tell, but it's definitely not because we don't trust each other. We are different, but I also don't think anyone would ever understand us as we do. Tonight… Tonight we just didn't know."

And by didn't know, both of them understood what Jughead really meant with his words. He meant they didn't know each other enough yet. They didn't know each other's tastes and dreams, and they certainly didn't know all their fears and insecurities. Somehow, they felt like they didn't know each other at all, even if they knew that was not true.

They knew they could trust each other.

They knew they could count on each other.

They knew their love was real.

Both Jughead and Betty knew that it was time for them to be completely honest about what's inside their hearts, even if none of them actually knew exactly what they could find there. They were ready to face the unknown together, fighting against their darkness and secrets, and not caring about how vulnerable or how exposed that would leave them.

Only together they could win that fight. Only together they could fix their hearts.

And that was exactly what they were going to do.

But not in a place like that.

"Jug…"

" I think that since we want this to work…" Because he knew they did. "We'll need to talk about the things we don't know." He said, not taking his eyes away from hers. A soft, small smile crossed her lips, as she was silently thanking him for guiding her through that lightless path she had ended up following that night.

She was thankful for him being there, with her.

And she just knew things would, eventually, be okay.

" I think we'll need milkshakes for that."

" Yeah…" He felt his chest getting warmer, as he caressed her arms." Shall we?"

" Let's go."

And with his arm wrapped around her shoulders, both Jughead and Betty left what was left of Archie's house. They were walking together to the one place where they knew they would find peace, and to the one place where all their fears wouldn't be able to hurt them.

They were heading out to Pop's. And in between milkshakes and words, they would certainly recover their lost birthday.


End file.
